Turkish army crucial to EU power hopes

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Brussels leaders name a date for final talks on
admitting the European Union's first Muslim member.

Advocates of the European Union as a fully fledged superpower
have predicted that the addition of Turkey's military would make it
a true global player.

Ankara's forces are greater than those of France and Britain
combined, with 514,000 men under arms and 380,000 in reserve, plus
a robust air force with American fighters.

A NATO official described the forces as "very experienced and
well-trained", after years of battles against Kurdish
guerillas.

EU leaders reached a historic agreement this week to offer
Turkey negotiations, starting in October next year, to join the
bloc. But they insisted that Ankara must act towards recognising
Cyprus by then.

If the negotiation succeeded, Turkey would become the first
Muslim member of the 25-nation European Union and one of the
largest. Europe's borders would be expanded to Iraq and Syria.

If it failed, another way would be sought to anchor the mostly
Muslim NATO ally, viewed by Washington and others as a key Western
ally, to Europe. "Tonight the European Union has opened its door to
Turkey," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told an
EU news conference on Thursday.

Earlier, the Turkish Prime Minister had indicated that he would
all but recognise Cyprus. "It will be resolved tomorrow," Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with Greek Prime Minister Costas
Caramanlis. Mr Erdogan hinted that Turkey was prepared to sign a
protocol extending Ankara's customs union to cover all EU states,
thereby indirectly recognising the status of the island.

The Turkish Government knows that its chances of joining
improved dramatically when the EU launched its defence and foreign
policy drive with the 1999 Amsterdam Treaty. The new geopolitical
calculations turned Turkey from likely burden to potential asset
almost overnight.

Turkey is regarded as central to the EU's drive for global
status, given Europe's lack of brawn.

British EURO MP Charles Tannock said Turkey's size and military
strength were keys to why so many Euro MPs backed its entry. "They
see Turkey as being so useful for the anti-American, anti-Israel
agenda that they are willing to sweep all the allegations of human
rights abuses under the carpet," he said.